How I cope with marking

Marking kills teachers. I don’t know anyone that looks at a massive pile of books and thinks way-hey! However, right from the start of my career, when I was a very naive English NQT, I had to find a way of coping. Back then I had no say in what the marking policy looked like; to be honest, I don’t think there was a policy, just a vague hope that teachers would turn up and no one would get thrown out of the window. These days I do have a say, I have the ultimate say, and as I still teach myself it has to be something I can practice alongside all my other responsibilities. Our marking policy is now a feedback policy, and it has to keep all sorts of people happy: students, parents,